By J1 reporter Fiona Gautschi

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported approximately 1.9 million individuals ages 3-17 have been diagnosed with depression and 4.4 million diagnosed with anxiety. The severity shown of this statistic is shown by the many Marian girls who face these and other mental health issues. 

To help girls who are needing guidance or support with their mental health, Marian hired Faithe Patrick, a mental health therapist, to provide mental health services to students 12 hours a week. Patrick is a mental health therapist through Catholic Charities and works at schools across Omaha in the Archdiocese. She can be found in her office in Student Services on Tuesdays and Thursdays. To make an appointment, students can reach out to their counselor and ask if there is availability.

“Marian has been such a welcoming school to be at, and I feel very grateful to be here two days of my week,” Patrick said.

If you are in need of other resources, Patrick suggests reaching out to your counselor, and they can request resources from her. She urges students who are ever feeling unsafe to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, which provides free and confidential support at any time of the day. Another resource students have found to be helpful is the Youthline’s chat feature. The Youthline is answered by teen volunteers daily to provide crisis support. To access this, you can text “teen2teen” to 839863.  

Many Marian students believe that mental health issues need to be taken seriously, and hiring Patrick was a step in the right direction. Junior India Zier said she believes that “mental health affects how you perform at school or in sports, so it is important that there are resources available to you if you need them.” 

Patrick sees that mental health is important, and it needs to be taken seriously to ensure the safety and wellbeing of every Marian student. Patrick said, “Just like when we are sick, and we go to see a doctor to stay healthy, it is very important to keep our thoughts, feelings, and emotions healthy.” 

“Not only is Marian here to provide a nurturing learning environment, but they are also here to support you as individuals,” Patrick said.

“Please don’t hesitate to reach out and seek support if you notice you are struggling,” she said.